U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceWe recently celebrated a 20-year joint restoration venture with South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project partners by opening a 300-acre former industrial salt pond to the Bay! This major milestone event is part of an ambitious 50-year effort to restore 15,000 acres of historic wetlands to tidal marsh and other habitats.
Tidal marsh once ringed California's South Bay and cushioned the shore from storms and tides. But over the course of the 20th century, approximately 85% of San Francisco Bay wetlands, over 150,000 acres, were lost to development. Restored tidal marshes help to absorb floodwaters and buffer against sea level rise, support wildlife and improve water quality by filtering pollutants.
"The Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge provides critical habitat to several endangered species, including the California clapper rail, salt marsh harvest mouse and western snowy plover. The restoration work here is protecting and restoring habitat for each of these species, which is significant not just for us today, but for future generations too.” - Matt Brown, San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex manager. Learn more in our comments.
Advertising